Doc On The Run Podcast

Grade one stress fracture is NOT a stress fracture

Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we're talking about how a grade one stress fracture is not a stress fracture at all. This weekend I was lecturing at the International Foot and Ankle Foundation meeting, which was supposed to be in Las Vegas, but it ended up being online, as many things are these days. But still, this is one of the largest medical conferences that is put on by the International Foot and Ankle Foundation For Education and Research specifically to help doctors, podiatrists, foot and ankle surgeons all get continuing education credits so they can maintain their medical licenses. So, it's all doctors. Well, I was asked to give a lecture on stress reactions and stress responses and stress fractures, specifically in athletes.

Use your running success to plan your injury recovery

The most difficult thing about being injured is not having a plan to follow.  

As Mark Spitz once said, “If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail.” 

So if you're an injured runner and you're trying to figure out how to get back on track and get back to running the most important thing you can do right now is to plan your injury recovery.

Prepare for your journey ahead, by looking back at past successes.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about how you can use your running success to plan your injury recovery.

Do I need a PRP injection for my Achilles Tendon

I just got off a telemedicine call with a guy who has an Achilles tendon injury and called me specifically because he wanted me to do a PRP injection on his Achilles tendon.

 

This guy's a physician. He understands injuries. He understands athletics. He actually had a PRP injection before. He's even had surgery in the past for his Achilles tendons. 

So this is an athlete and a doctor who actually really understands and knows all of the stuff that goes into the decision process when you're thinking about getting a PRP injection for an injured Achilles tendon.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about some of the ways you can tell if you really need a PRP injection for an injured Achilles tendon.

3 mistakes runners make with ankle sprains

I was just on a telemedicine call with a patient. We were doing a webcam call and she had been running on a trail, rolled her ankle, and had a really bad ankle sprain.

Her ankle was black and blue, swollen, and really painful. She was having trouble walking. This is a really active runner who wants to get back to running as quickly as she can. 

Running on trails is obviously a little more difficult and puts you at a little more risk of having another ankle sprain just because it's an irregular, undulating, unpredictable surface.

So in my discussion with her, I realized that there are three major mistakes that runners often make when they roll an ankle running on a trail and want to get back to running after they heal. 

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about the three biggest mistakes runners make with ankle sprains.

Put your best foot forward on stairs when injured

I just got off a telemedicine call with an injured runner who has pain and swelling in her foot. We were on a recovering runner coaching call talking about all of the little things that can help you recover and heal faster. 

During our discussion she asked a great question. She kind of laughed and said she was confused about something as simple as going up the flight of stairs to her bedroom. 

How do I go up steps when my foot is painful? Do I start with my good foot or my bad foot?

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about how to go up stairs when you are recovering from a running injury.

Can I run on a treadmill after a stress fracture?

Today’s episode comes from a runner named Gordon who asked a question during a live webinar entitled “Am I Ready to Run? How to tell if its safe to start running again.” 

He asked, “Is it okay to run on a treadmill? I'm returning from a stress fracture injury. I read that a treadmill gives the exact same stress with every step versus, say a trail, but with COVID-19 and smoke, running outside is a challenge and all that." 

That is a great question! Because, there is a lot of evidence that treadmills cause the same repetitive stress in the same way that might lead to stress fractures in the foot. 

Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we're talking about whether or not you should run on a treadmill when you're recovering from a stress fracture. 

3 biggest mistakes injured runners make

Every day, all day, I help injured runners get back to running. 

I have noticed runners consistently make crucial mistakes in each of the three phases of injury recovery. 

These are simple avoidable errors in recovery that can slow the process of returning to running, or increase the chances of getting re-injured once you get back to full training.

Avoid these mistakes to make sure that you heal your running injury as quickly as possible and then don't get re-injured when you're returning to running.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about the 3 biggest mistakes injured runners make when recovering from an overtraining injury.

Stress fracture: can I start a walk run program?

One of the biggest problems when you get a metatarsal stress fracture is deciding when it's safe for you to go to the next level of activity.

I just got a great question from a high school cross country runner who is healing from a stress fracture and wanted to get back to running as quickly as possible.

The question was whether or not it was okay to begin a walk/run program at four weeks of stress fracture healing?

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about whether or not it is okay to begin a walk/run program when you are well on your way to healing a metatarsal stress fracture.

Question every timeline of running again after injury

What does it mean when your doctor says you might be able to run in 3 weeks, depending on what your x-rays shows?

If your doctor guesses that in three weeks, you're going to have something appear on an X- Ray, that assumes the bone is going to be stronger at that time you get the x-ray. Right? 

So what that also really means is that until three weeks from today, every single day, healing happens. Tissues are getting stronger. More collagen is forming. The osteoblasts and osteoclasts are working in conjunction to remodel the bone. More bone is getting laid down. Tissues are getting stronger. 

But every single day, if you get stronger, then in theory, every single day, you could do a little bit more activity. 

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about why you should question every timeline of how long it's going to take to get back to running after an injury.

Can I run after broken ankle surgery

A runner broke her ankle and foot in five places and had surgery. She wrote in and wanted to know if she might run again: 

“I’m 34 years old. I had a bike accident 4 days ago. I broke my tibia bone at the medial malleolus, distal fibula bone, and metatarsal bones 2, 3, and 4. The surgery went well. I was a runner. I used to run  4 times a week. Is there any chance I can run again?”

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about what whether or not there is any chance you can run again after breaking five bones in your foot and ankle, and recovering from ankle fracture surgery.